It's Only Love
by Elaine d'Astolat
Summary: 1975. The war is over, Max is home for good, and everything is back to normal. At least, until Sadie's half-sister Julia shows up. Rated for future chapters. Max/OFC
1. Chapter 1

Knocking. That was the first thing Max's murky mind comprehended as he opened his eyes on a gray Sunday morning of 1975. He couldn't understand why the sky was so pale. It had been blue for so long, and now it was cold. Then he realized – it was actually _morning_. And there was still that horrible knocking sound.

He was stranded at the moment. The was had been over for barely three months, and he was fired from his Taxi job. Just one too many late arrivals. So now he was living with Sadie and JoJo. He knew that if he didn't get a job very soon, he would be begging Lucy and Jude to take him in, and he really didn't want to start babysitting their toddlers.

As the knocking continued, Max decided to see what the Hell was going on. He stood and pulled on a pair of jeans – no need for a shirt, really – and headed out of the spare room for the door. Where was Sadie? Still sleeping? Of course, Max though bitterly. Nobody could interrupt her beauty sleep. He rolled his eyes and opened the door.

Before him stood a girl, in her early twenties. Her hair was a rusty red that made her blue eyes stand out. She was pale, but not unhealthly. Slim, but not skinny, and dressed in a blue velvet dress that made her look like Janis Joplin. Her haircut didn't help. Her eyes were surrounded by dark rings, and the poor thing looked like she was about to collapse under the weight of her suitcase.

"Is Sadie here?" she asked. Her voice was clear, although tired, and Max noticed her swaying slightly.

"Uh... yeah, but she's asleep," he answered still taken aback. Who the Hell was she? With her free hand, the girl pushed her bangs out of her face and behind one ear. They slid back in front of her eyes not a moment later.

"Could you get her?" she asked, trying not to sound rude. She yawned, covering her mouth with her hand. She needed to put down her suitcase and lean on the doorjamb for support. "Tell her it's Julia. I know she dowsn't like to be woken up, but it's... it's kind of an emergency."

'Julia' was shaking. Wheter it was from the chill morning breeze or exhaustion, Max didn't know. "Sure," he said graciously, stepping to the side to let the girl come in. She dragged her suitcase behind her, apparently lacking the strength to lift it. She sat down in the living room besde the window, rubbing her eyelids.

Max was slightly afraid. He had never tried waking up Sadie before, especially so early. This could endanger his manhood if he wasn't careful. He knocked on the door and stepped inside. "Um... Sadie?" There was a groan from under a heap of sheets, and a barely distinguishable 'fuck off'. "Sorry, but it's someone named Julia."

It was like someone had shocked the bed with electricity. Sadie was up and decent in record time, a robe covering her body as she pushed Max out of the way. He followed timidly. He was still exhausted himself, and was eager to go to bed.

"Jules," Sadie ried, rushing over. "What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in ages!" The girl shot up. Apparently she had dozed off the the brief moments that she had been sitting, but now she was on her feet, embracing the older woman.

"Oh, Sadie," she cried, her voice breaking. "I've missed you so much. Mom and Dad kicked me out," she sobbed. "They said that I wasn't worth their time. I had nowhere else to go!" She buried her face in Sadie's shouder. Max felt extremely awkward standing there. Sadie saw the look on his face and smiled wryly.

"This is my half-sister Julia. She's into music, too, and lives – lived -- in Chicago." She turned her attention to Julia again. "How did you get here?" she asked, sounding concerned. Julia waiped her eyes. "Bus. And I hitchhiked." she sniffled, looking at Max. It seemed that it was her first time actually seeing him. "I'm sorry," she said, breaking away from her sister and trying to get her hair out of her face again. "Did I wake you up?" Max replied without thinking. "Yeah." He noticided the murderous look from his landlady and cleared his throat. "I mean no. I mean... um... no problem!" Julia gave a watery smile and shook her head. "My apologies. I know I woke up Sadie, I'm actually surprised that I managed to get in. I was expecting to crash outside."

There was a grunt from the bedroom, and JoJo walked out, wearing a pair of boxers. He looked at the eagle-eyed Julia and turned on his heel, closing the door behind him. The redhead smirked. "A new one?" she asked her sister in a taunting voice. Sadie rolled her eyes. "Like you're any different. You still going with whats-his-face... Desmond?"

Julia looked down. "No," she said quietly. "That's one of the reasons I got kicked out. I was at a dance with this guy Rocky-- a total doll-- and Father McKenzie caught us kissing under the stairs." She looked up, a determined expression on her face. "We were only kissing, that's all!" She waved her hands for emphasis. "But... Rocky was kind of radical, and you know how they feel about that." The older woman nodded. "Yeah, I know as well as you do, if not better."

Julia closed her eyes briefly, and held a hand to her head. "Uhh... I... I feel kind of dizzy. Um... could I have something... to eat, maybe?" Max could see julia losing her balance, swaying side to side. He lunged forward and caught her just as she fell. "Shit," he said, lifting her. He put her on the window seat, since JoJo was in Sadie's room and Sadie would probably kill him if he even considered his own room. Sadie was already scrambling eggs and pouring some water. All Max hoped was that Sadie didn't totally mutilate the eggs. He'd never thought that scrambled eggs could be so horribly insulted until he'd seen Sadie cook them once...

A sigh escaped Julia's lips. "I'm sorry," she murmured, opening her eyes. "Did I black out?" Sadie answered. "You collapsed. When was the last time you ate?" Julia was quiet, trying to recall. "Well, I left about... I didn't eat... um... four days." Max's eyes widened. Four days? He wouldn't be able to last that long. It'd been hard enough in 'Nam, and he'd really rather not remember that.

Julia sniffed. "Um.. Sadie, are you... cooking?" there was a note of such terror that Max couldn't suppress a laugh, despite his landlady's venomous glare. "Yeah," he said. "Unfortunately for the rest of us." Sadie rolled her eyes. "Knock that out before I hit you over the head with my frying pan," she threatened. Max saluted with a lopsided grin. "Yes, ma'am."

Sadie brought over a plate of eggs, and the water. To Max's surprise, the eggs were actually recognizable. "Hey, Sadie," he said, waiting for the plate to implode or something. "We should get you up before noon more often..."

Sadie groaned. "Speaking of which, I'm going back to bed. Julia, go easy on him. Max, touch her and you'll wish you'd never been born." she walked into her room and closed the door, leaving Max and Julia in an awkward silence.

"So... she's pretty protective?" Max almost grimaced at his pitiful attempt at conversation, but Julia laughed. "Not really, she's just... well, a lot of guys have taken advantage of me." She shrugged, taking small, tentative bites of egg. "Well, she's gotten better since I last had one of her attempts." Max looked confused, so Julia smiled and shook her head. "The food. It's actually edible. The last time I ate anything of hers, it was fried chicken, and it almost made me a vegetarian." Max laughed outright. "Yeah, she almost set the stove on fire a few months ago trying to bake cookies. Not pleasant." They laughed together, and Julia finally managed to sit up straight. Max frowned. "Why didn't you just go to your boyfriend's place?" Julia rolled her eyes. "As if. Rocky wouldn't take me in, and even if he did, I wouldn't want to be a part of his harem. Sure, he was gorgeous, but not good for anything long-term."

Max blinked. Was this girl for real? Of course, she _was _related to Sadie. "So, I guess you'll be staying here, then," he said, rubbing his neck. "I don't know where you'll stay, 'cos there's only the two bedrooms, unless we try clearing out--" Julia cut him off. "I'll sleep with you," she said, finishing off her eggs and sipping the water. Max was at a loss for words for a moment. "Uhh, bad idea. I mean, you heard Sadie. She kinda... scares the shit outta me." Julia laughed. "Don't worry about it. I'll tell her it was my idea, and it'll be cool." She rose, yawning. "So, where's our room?"

It was all Max could do not to choke on his own saliva. He pointed wordlessly at the door to his bedroom, and Julia took a few steps in the direction before grabbing his hand and pulling him along. "Well, c'mon. Anyone that lives with Sadie has to be a slob, no offense. I'm not going in there alone." It was true, he was kind of a pig. Oh, well.

Julia collapsed on the bed, dragging Max with her. She laid beside him, looking at his scared face. "Talk to me," she said, closing her eyes. Max didn't know what she meant. "About what?" he asked, frowning. Julia opened her eyes again. "Were you in the war?" she pondered aloud, softly. Max nodded. "Yeah." "So tell me about it."

Max furrowed his brow, trying to find a good place to start. "Well, it was so hot the whole time. Even the nights were practically unbearable, and the rain was just... ugh. But the men. They were scary. I didn't want to go, I really didn't, but I had no other good options. The men, though... they were like... they never smiled, when one of their buddies got shot in the eye, they just kept going. It was..." he shuddered, squeezing his eyes shut.

Julia sighed. "Hey, look. It's okay. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." She put a hand on the side of his face. "I didn't want to bring up any bad memories, I was just curious. Trust me, if there's something that you don't want to talk about, I won't make you. And if I do, that means it's serious." She yawned again, stretching. "Anyways, good night, Max." Without another word, she kissed him full on the mouth and rolled over. In minutes her breathing was even, and she was asleep, but Max didn't get any rest for some time.

Okay, so that's Chapter One! Don't hate me because it's short, it's basically just an introduction. It took me **ages** to find the right name for Julia, running over all the Beatles songs I could think of. I hope you liked it .


	2. Chapter 2

A few hours later, just before noon, Julia woke up. Max was asleep behind her, with one arm draped across her waist. Grinning, the girl slid out of bed, careful not to wake the man in it, and went out to the kitchen area. Everyone was stell asleep, so she figured she might as well make some real food for herself.

After managing to scrounge up some ingredients, borrowing baking powder from a neighbor, Julia started on pancakes. She stood by the stove with a spatula in her hand, singing softly as she flipped the batter to cook. A door opened, she couldn't tell which one because she was watching the pan, but when Max leaned on the wall opposite from her, Julia smiled sheepishly.

"I needed some sustenance," she said, blowing at her bangs. They were always getting in the way. Max raised an eyebrow.

"Meaning...? Is Sadie's cooking that bad?"

Julia laughed. "No, but my pancakes are the best. Of course, I needed to borrow some of the ingredients. My my darling half-sister doesn't have any real food, I'll never know. Did I wake you up again?" She scooped up the cake and put it on a plate she was holding, then proceeded to pour some more batter down.

"Nah, I woke up because I though Sadie was going to set the kitchen on fire... again." Julia shot Max a glare. "Shit, you two really are related," he cracked.

Julia rolled her eyes. Sure, he was good looking, there was no denying it, but he was being kind of a dick. Maybe it was because he was fully awake... She flipped the pancake and leaned against the wall. No sense in being a bitch right back, she'd put it behind her.

"So how's life here? I mean, I've been in Chicago all my life. What do you do for fun?" she asked, feebly attempting to tuck her hair out of the way. Max shrugged.

"There's some parties around sometimes. Usually I just chill with my sister Lucy and her husband Jude." he paused, shaking his head. "Shit, I still can't get used to that... I also go see Sadie and the Po Boys whenever I get the chance." Julia burst out laughing.

"Po Boys? No way! You mean she's kept the band name all these years?" Julia could remember Sadie calling her band 'Sadie and the Po Boys' for practically forever. Max looked surprised, and didn't say anything.They sat in silence, the scraping of the spatula the only sound until Sadie's door burst open. The man that Julia had seen before rushed out, looking around wildly.

"What's that smell? Why is the stove on? Who are you?" he finally turned an accusatory look at Julia, who was staring in shock. Was he high? _Well, _she thought, _at least he put some clothes on._ Max rubbed the back of his neck.

"JoJo, this is Julia. She's Sadie's half sister. Julia, this is JoJo. He's Sadie's... uhh..." Max stumbled, fishing around for the right word to describe JoJo. Julia shook her head, smiling.

"I get it. Remember, I've known her for a very long time. Would you like something to eat? There's pretty much no real food here." Julia rolled her eyes. Even the cereal was so full of sugar it was practically toxic.

Max frowned. "What do you mean?" he asked. "There's real food. See?" he pulled out a box o the aforementioned cereal and scooped out a handful, shoving it in his mouth. "It's good."

"Sure," replied the redhead. "I'll eat something that won't give me a premature death while you shovel pure sugar into your mouth." She smiled to herself, starting on two more pancakes. Now that she was familiar with the area, she could move faster and get more done. Of course, she'd always been healthier than Sadie. She'd never even considered doing drugs, and she probably never would. Or, at least, she hoped not...

"What do you mean, premature death?" Max inuired, interrupting Julia's train of thought. She looked up just in time to save some of her breakfast from being charred. "I mean," she replied, turning the stove off, "that the stuff you're eating is so bad for you that you'll die in five years with no teeth."

Max smirked. "Well, at least I'll _enjoy_ those five years," he retorted, shoving his face in another handful of sugar nuts or whatever they were. Julia snorted and sat down at the dingy table that Sadie had acquired since they'd last spoken. "Want some?" she offered a pancake to JoJo, who shook his head politely.

"No, I'll pass, thanks. I can't eat before three or I get nauseous." Julia frowned. Surely that wasn't a good sign... She swallowed back a yawn and looked outside.

"Oh, wow, it's beautiful out!" she exclaimed, after swallowing her mouthful. She had eaten her share, and would leave some for Sadie, or a snack if the stubborn cow wouldn't eat them. "Oh, I can't stay in here when it's like that! It's simply divine!" She stood and ran to her gold jacket, slipping it over her shoulders. Once she had enough bread, she'd need to get a coat. Why she hadn't brought one when she left she didn't know, probably because she had been so rushed and frazzled.

"Hey, Max, show me around," she said, more of a demand than a request. She knew he would, because Sadie had already pretty much threatened his life with a single look. He readily agreed, and they headed out into the sunshine. Julia was glad that Max was with her. He was gorgeous and knew the area, so she could be safe while getting an eyeful, and that was just what she needed in a new place. He wasn't really a bad person, either, he was just a jerk. And Julia was used to that by now.

"Wow, it's so nice here. I can't really say much for the air, but it's so pretty!" she spun in a circle, and gave Max a gigantic hug. He looked so bewildered she had to giggle. Her plan was working. Sure, it was a weird goal to have, get a guy as soon as possible, what what could you do? A girl like Julia really needs someone to make her feel loved – in more ways than one.

"What was that for?" he asked after she released him and they resumed walking. Julia shrugged. "How should I know? I just like hugs. Thats all. Unless you don't like the, I can stop. But it would be cool if I had someone other than my half-sister to cling to." She grinned and looked up at him. Either he was really tall or she was really short. Probably somewhere in between.

"Uh... sure," Max replied, blinking. "Hey, you want something to eat? I know you just ate an all, but this place has the bast fries I've ever tasted." Julia looked at the place. It was just a diner, filled with people just like them. Of course, there were people just like them all over. It's not like they were really out of place or anything, but still. It was cool. "Sure," she said, still looking in the window. They went inside and found a seat, a small booth. When the waitress asked what they wanted, all they got were fries. Neither of them were too hungry, Max pretty much just wanted to show off his favourite snack joint. They were both given water, and much to Julia's surprise, the glasses were actually clean.

"Hey, that's something new for me! Clean dishes!" she laughed. Max looked at her oddly, an unasked question in his eyes. "What? I've never been able to afford a place with clean dishes, unless my parents were with me." She rolled her eyes, her face becoming bitter. "Go figure. As if they'd care."

Max looked down. "Uhh, I don't mean to be nosy, but do your parents know you're gone?" He looked worried. Julia wondered when the food was going to show up. The sooner the food showed up, the sooner she could stop talking. Until this happened, however, she might as well let it out.

"No," she said after taking a deep breath. "I just left. I mean, it's not like they care, but still they don't know where I am. As far as they know, I just am. They don't even talk to Sadie any more. The only way I even correspond with her is through letters she sends under a different name. My parents think she's a penpal or something. They don't know I'm here, and I hope they don't find out. I hate it back there. Everything is so... phony. It's all the same, you know? The people are just... sad faces, pained over with those magazine smiles and stuff." she sighed. "If I had it my way, I'd have been long gone way back. But, of course not. I was the stereotypical good girl who fell head over heels for the bad boys that her parents could never know about. Rocky – the guy who got me kicked out – wasn't even the first rebel. Desmond was pretty much just a cover. We had an agreement. I caught him smoking pot at a study session, and he told me that we would be an 'item'. I wouldn't say anything about his smoking, and he wouldn't say anything about my habits. But they found out anyways."

She slouched forward, leaning her chin on her arms. In moments, she needed to sit up for the fries. She looked at them for a moment. They didn't seem very impressive, but she'd have to take Max's word. As soon as he ate one, she would do so as well. He picked one up, but just before he put it in his mouth there was an interruption.

"Max!" a blonde girl cried, running over. For a moment, Julia felt a sting of jealously. Then she say the dark-haired man with her, and she relaxed. "Max, it's been ages! How are you? How are Sadie and JoJo?" the girl slid in to sit beside Max, without even a glance at the redhead, who was frowning with a slight indignance. Sure, it was one thing to start talking to someone without warning, but to sit down with two people without even introducing herself was just plain rude. Luckily, the other man seated himself beside her.

"I'm Jude," he said, his voice lilting. Julia smiled and held out her hand. "Julia." Max looked up from the blonde. "This is Lucy," he said, grinning. "She's my sister." Julia smiled sweetly, refusing to be a bitch. Lucy looked her over and smiled hesitantly, as if she were just trying to be polite. "How do you know my brother?" she asked, the pleasantness in her voice not meeting her eyes. Max spoke before Julia could do anything rash.

"She's Sadie's sister," he said. He looked so happy, Julia couldn't do anything to be rude. Appparently his time with his sister was greatly valuable for him, and she didn't want to take that away from him.

"Half sister, actually," she corrected, tucking her bangs out of the way. For once they stayed. Well, for a moment. The they just fell back again. She reached for a French fry and nibbled at the end tentatively. It wasn't as if she mistrusted Max, she just wondered how different their tastes were. To her pleasant surprise, it was delicious.

"Hey, these really are good!" she exclaimed, grabbing another. Lucy looked at her in disgust, but frankly she couldn't care less.

"So," Lucy said, "how do you feel about war?" She smirked, sure that this would be a weak spot.

Julia leaned back and brushed her hands together to dust off the salt. "It's pointless. Why do we bother fighting? The government insists on holding stupid grudges, and for what? Who really likes living in hatred and pain? Unless you're a complete masochist, it's not very likely. Besides, fighting over ancient grudges it just lame. I mean, come on, man! Live in the moment. After all, it's the only moment you'll ever get to live it." she took a sip of water and looked at Lucy, who actually looked impressed.

"That is awesome," Max said, shaking his head. "I think we should have conversations like this more often."

Julia smiled, batting her eyelashes. "Why, thank you!" she laughed. "I'm free any time you feel like talking." Little did anyone know, this was just a part of her plan. She just hoped nobody would get hurt. After all, in the early stages of infatuation it's hard to tell what the outcome will be, and Julia was certain that she was pretty much infatuated with a tall, blond man named Max.

That's number two, loves. I hope you liked it, and again apologize for the lack of length. I'm trying, but right now I'm in two plays and school and now I sound like a whiner. I'll try to get the next one out soon. See you on the flipside,

Moonbeam Starchild


End file.
